A number of neck braces have been developed to be worn by drivers participating in motor racing and similar activities, where the driver is strapped into his seat by a harness, e.g. a four, five or six-point harness, which has shoulder straps extending over the driver's shoulders.
Of these neck braces, presently the most prominent and widely used brace is the HANS (trade mark) device which includes two protuberances that extend underneath the driver's shoulder straps over his chest and extends across the nape of his neck, with an upward protuberance behind his neck and straps or tethers extending from this upward protuberance to his helmet. In the event of a rapid deceleration (e.g. during an accident), the helmeted head tends to move forward relative to the torso and this movement is limited by the tethers.
Other, similar braces have been developed, e.g. by Safety Solutions (trade mark) and make use of a rigid device strapped in position behind a driver's shoulders, with straps extending between the helmet and an upward protuberance behind the driver's neck.
Neither of these devices offer adequate protection to the driver's neck during side impact and the HANS device causes discomfort on the driver's chest (requiring thick padding) and is prone to being dislodged from underneath the shoulder straps during impact. The present invention seeks to provide an improved neck brace that addresses these shortfalls.